Barcode Your QI Part 3
With a handheld scanner attached to our terminal, here's a batch file to capture data:
@ECHO OFF
:LOOP
SET /P ACCT=WAND TUBE
ECHO %ACCT% %DATE% %TIME% >> SCANNED.LOG
GOTO LOOP
Saved as SCANNED.BAT in a place where you can run it – such as the Desktop – it's just an ugly black box with WAND TUBE in white lettering. (Change that by clicking the C:\ icon in the title bar and checking Properties.) Scan a barcode, and the numbers appear on the screen after TUBE. Hit Enter, and WAND TUBE appears on the next line.
Here's what it does:
- @ECHO OFF – don't "echo" commands to the screen.
- :LOOP – a place marker for GOTO.
- SET /P ACCT=WAND TUBE - SET the value entered at the WAND TUBE prompt (/P) to the variable ACCT.
- ECHO %ACCT% %DATE% %TIME% >> SCANNED.LOG – appends (>>) variables ACCT, DATE, and TIME (the last two are defined by the system and store the current date and time) to the file SCANNED.LOG.
- GOTO LOOP – does it again by "branching" to the marker :LOOP; it will keep LOOPing until the window is closed by the user.
Improvements:
Prefixes and suffices – sequences before and after what's scanned – can be programmed into your scanner using barcodes in the operator's manual. Adding a carriage return as a suffix, for example, means you don't have to press Enter. You might also add a prefix matching a hotkey that switches to the batch file, which means you don't have to click the icon. Two less steps means one boop. Sweet.
To add feedback, try adding this after the ECHO statement (to "echo" to the screen):
ECHO %ACCT% %DATE% %TIME% LOGGED
You can also log more data, such as an ID badge number. Just add more prompts and variables:
SET /P TECH=WAND BADGE
ECHO %WAND% %ACCT% %DATE% %TIME% >> SCANNED.LOG
The log file can be pasted into Excel (or another spreadsheet) and split into columns so the data can be manipulated and analyzed. You can, for instance, graph average turnaround time against drop off time, identifying analyzer throughput capacity, staff stress, order entry variation, and other variables. There are many possibilities.